Dick Hamilton's Cadet Days; Or, The Handicap of a Millionaire's Son Part 44

Larabee. "I have been waiting for some time for him, but he sent word that he had an important engagement, and would see me later."

Glen guessed what the "engagement" was, so he merely nodded.

"I want to see him very particularly," continued the aged man, "as I have some important news for him. It may make a great difference in his life. In fact, I'm sure it will."

Glen opened his eyes at this, and decided not to go just yet.

"Has some one left him some more millions?" he asked in a joking tone.

"Far from it," said Mr. Larabee in solemn accents.

"Eh?" asked Glen, wondering what was coming.

"I always said it was foolish for my sister to leave Richard so much money," went on Mr. Larabee severely, "and I told Mortimer Hamilton that he was risking his money to go to Europe. Now, what I said would happen has happened."

"Is Mr. Hamilton in trouble?" asked Glen, not a little rejoiced to find that difficulties were in store for d.i.c.k.

"Well, I'd call it trouble to lose nearly all my fortune. But it serves Mortimer right, and Richard also."

"Has Mr. Hamilton lost his money?" inquired Glen, coming closer to Mr.

Larabee.

"Practically so."

"And d.i.c.k?"

"A large part of his is gone also. It was invested with Mr. Hamilton's.

I received word of it yesterday, and I hurried to come here and tell him. A New York bank, in which Mr. Hamilton was largely interested, and in which were most of d.i.c.k's funds, as well his father's, has failed."

"Then Mr. Hamilton isn't a millionaire any longer?"

"I fear not."

"And d.i.c.k?" asked Glen eagerly.

"He has very little left."

"Whew!" whistled the cadet. This would be news indeed to the students.

He must hasten and tell them.

"That's what I came to see my nephew about," went on Mr. Larabee. "I want him to come away from this expensive school, and live with me until his father returns. Oh, the money that young man has wasted! It is awful! Terrible!" and Uncle Ezra seemed about to faint with the horror of it.

"Shall I find d.i.c.k for you?" asked Glen.

"I wish you would, young man. I want to tell him this news, and take him back with me. I have a return ticket on the railroad, and if I stay over night it will be no good. Besides I am afraid my hired man will use kerosene oil in starting the fire if I am not home by morning, and he might burn down the house. One can not be too careful of money. Mortimer and my nephew are a terrible example. Find him for me, if you will, please."

"I will," promised Glen, hurrying away. "My word!" he exclaimed as he ran out on the campus. "Hamilton's money all gone! Then he's no better than the rest of us now. He'll come down a peg or two."

Considering that d.i.c.k had never tried to hang himself on a "peg," this seemed a useless as well as cruel remark.

"I wish I had borrowed a hundred from him yesterday, instead of fifty,"

mused Glen, as he hurried on toward the baseball field. As he neared it he heard shouts and cheers.

"The game's started," he exclaimed, as he broke into a run.

CHAPTER XXIX

d.i.c.k'S GREAT RUN

d.i.c.k Hamilton hurried across to the players' bench, tightening his belt as he ran.

"If I only get a chance to play," he kept thinking. "I don't care what happens after that, nor what Uncle Ezra may want."

The game soon started, and it began to look bad for Kentfield, for the outfielders made several costly errors, and at the ending of the sixth inning the score was eight to three, in favor of Mooretown.

"Looks rather bad," said Captain Rutledge to the coach.

"Nonsense," replied Hale. "You can win yet. Take a brace, that's all."

Kentfield had elected to be last at the bat, and, in the beginning of the seventh inning, when Mooretown was up, Perkins, the regular short stop, split his hand in stopping a "hot" ball. The other players gathered about him.

"I guess it's all up with us now," remarked Dutton, from his seat in the grandstand. "We haven't got anyone who can play like Perkins. Hamilton is green. Our goose is cooked."

"Say, I've got some news about Hamilton," spoke Russell Glen, worming his way to Dutton's side, during the lull in the contest following the injury of Perkins.

"I don't care. I want to see how this game is coming out."

Perkins walked to the bench, blood dripping from his hand.

"Hamilton!" cried Captain Rutledge, and d.i.c.k sprang from the bench, pulling off his sweater. His chance had come.

"Hamilton's going to play," said Dutton. "Oh, what a score they'll roll up against us! They'll knock all their b.a.l.l.s at him, and he'll miss them. What were you saying about Hamilton?" he went on, turning to Glen.

"This is tough luck, though!"

"Hamilton has lost all his money!" cried Glen, and his tone seemed to show that he relished the news.

"No!"

"Fact. His uncle told me," and Glen related the story he had received from Mr. Larabee.

Dutton was greatly surprised, and so were several other cadets who overheard what Glen had said. But there was little time to speculate on it, as the game was under way again.

Whether it was d.i.c.k's presence at shortstop, or because the other players on his team braced up, was not evident. At any rate, Mooretown was held down to a goose egg in that inning, and when it came the turn of Kentfield to show what the nine could do in the ending of the seventh inning, there were three runs to the credit of the cadets, d.i.c.k having made one.

"The score is six to eight!" murmured Glen to Dutton. "Hamilton isn't doing so bad."